Page to screen: The Lynn Painter universe
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Painter- Instagram
The last couple of months has been a very exciting time for Lynn Painter fans. Painter has announced that two of her New York Times best selling novels will be adapted into movies! Both Fake Skating and Better Than the Movies will be adapted within the next couple of years.
Painter announced on July 30, 2026, through an Instagram post that her newest hockey romance novel, Fake Skating, is in production and scheduled to be released on July 16, 2027. If anyone remembers the heartbreaking story that is The Fault in Our Stars (2014) by John Green, you might be familiar with director Josh Boone. According to IMDb, he also recently directed Regretting You (2025), the movie adaptation for Colleen Hoover’s novel. It has been announced that Boone will be directing Fake Skating and fans are ecstatic!
The cast for Fake Skating has yet to be released, but it was confirmed by Deadline that the movie is in development through Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures. With this book selling over 200,000 copies since its release in Sept. 2025, according to an article on Prestige, the movie is highly expected and going to be a summer blockbuster, even though the movie is set in the wintertime! Fans are excited to see the characters Dani Collins and Alec Barczewski on the big screen through their fake-dating journey.
As some fans remember, earlier on May 5, 2026, Lynn Painter announced with an Instagram post her 2021 New York Times Bestseller Better Than the Movies will also have a YA adaptation on Netflix. While some aspects of the movie still remain a secret, the cast was announced on Sept. 3, 2026 by Netflix. The main characters, Liz Buxbaum and Wes Bennett, will be played by Beatrice Kitsos and David Iacono. Side characters such as Michael Young (Deacon Phillippe) and Jocelyn (Nicole Bruner) have also been released as well as Liz’s parents Brian Buxbaum (Luke Kirby) and Martha Buxbaum (Claire Coffee).
The story of Wes Bennett and Liz Buxbaum does not have a set release date as production has not begun. This is yet another highly anticipated movie by fans and according to Woman’s World, the movie will be directed by Julie Hart, who has also worked on other movies including Stargirl (2020) and Don’t Say Good Luck (2026). Hart and her husband, Jordan Horowitz, will co-write the script.
Since the cast release,controversy has arisen regarding David Iacono’s casting as Wes Bennett. Many fans of Better Than the Movies also enjoyed the book and show adaptation of The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022-2023) by Jenny Han. Iacono famously played character Cam Cameron in the show and many fans online, such as notsocriticallyacclaimed on Instagram, have been disappointed since the casting of him as Wes Bennett. Many are saying Iacono’s looks and personality do not match Bennett’s description in the book. Seeing Cam Cameron as a shy and respectful young man in The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022-2023) is making fans believe Iacono cannot play the bold, sarcastic, and cocky Wes Bennett. I guess we will have to see how he does playing this character, but I fully believe that Lynn Painter, being executive producer in both movies according to Deadline, has chosen this cast based on how she views her characters. Many actors in other movies have been able to play drastically different roles, without issue, and I have no doubt David Iacono will do his best to portray Bennett as accurately as possible for the fans!
Lynn Painter fans have a lot to look forward to in the next couple years. Who knows? Maybe Painter will announce even more exciting information. Right now, Trust Fall is her upcoming book set to be released on Sept. 29, 2026, according to Goodreads. Whether you’re a long-time fan of Painter or are new to the LPU (Lynn Painter Universe), keep a look out for these upcoming movie adaptations and her new book!